ESAB/Heliarc 252 question

Try replacing the TIG torch........ Phil Kangas
Jim C Roberts wrote in message ... not really mine, right? at first it was cleaned the contacts, week in the shop, back saying it shops, they keep but after a Alum.) it begins to AC circuit and see the little main arc. for this welder?

Phil,
Did that, sorta. Before they took the machine the last time we switched both the torch and ground off of another machine and it behaved the same. I may go ahead and swap it again and see if it helps, but I still think the problem lies in the AC circuit somewhere. But what do I know?? :)
Thanks for the reply Phil, Jim

Have you tried AC stick welding with it? If that gives you problems too you'll know it's an AC arc problem rather than a HF problem. Use a rod that welds easy like 6013. Try DC too to see if that makes a difference.
Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com
"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

Keith,
That is a very interesting suggestion. That would be a great way to determine if the AC side is/is not working properly, as you said. I will have to try out in the morning.
Thanks Keith, Jim

You're welcome. Let us know what you find out.
BTW, a friend loaned my son and I an old Lincoln IdealArc TIG 250/250 so that my son could learn to TIG (me too). He didn't have a TIG torch on it but I had one that I'd picked up at an auction so he explained that to use it we should use the stinger as the ground and hook the ground to the TIG torch. That didn't make sense to me because it was an AC/DC machine and we should have been able to just switch the polarity and hook the stinger to the TIG torch and use the ground as ground but I didn't question it since he was the pro. :-)
When we got it home and started using it I found out why he was doing it that way. The AC/DC+/DC- switch would only work in one position. In AC or the opposite DC polarity there was no output. I removed the top cover and found that the contacts of the polarity switch had a huge glob of melted metal on it that kept it from working in any other position. I clean it off and burnished the contacts and it's worked great ever since.
In other words, you could have a similar problem. In my case I'm fairly certain it happened because someone switched it while welding. Sounds like you've been using this machine for quite a while and the problem has been intermittent so I doubt it's the same situation but it could still be a very simple fix.
Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com
"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

Keith,
I done the stick welding this morning, 6011 1/8" rods, it worked fine. Go figure. It worked for a little while on TIG this morning, then got to where it would not "light". So, it left this evening on the back of a truck headed for the repair shop. I asked the guy if he could bring it back "Blue", hey it doesn't hurt to dream, right? I did ask a local supplier for a price on a comparable Miller. He said a Miller 250 with the Tig-runner package would be about $3200US, his associate that picked up the ESAB today said he could get us a little better deal. Dreaming again, but what the heck.
Thanks again for the reply Keith, Jim

You're welcome. It was worth a try at least. :-)
That's a lot of money but depending on your situation down time can cost quite a bit too so it may be worth it if the ESAB continues to give you trouble.
Good luck!
Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com
"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

It sounds like you did stick OK, _then_ TIG for awhile. I know it's too late now, but you should have tried the stick after the TIG stopped. Bob